There’s a reason it seems like everyone and their dog is on Facebook: They are.

More than (ready for this?) 1.5 billion people use Facebook daily. Social media is responsible for connecting people all over the world who otherwise would have no method of communication with one another, however passive that communication may seem. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms puts us all on a level playing field, which means we can share our stories, advice and experiences with anyone around the world who is willing to listen.

And while Facebook and Twitter are the major players we immediately think of when we talk about social media, there are others out there that members of your community are already using. Are you?

The great thing about social media is the way it’s user-driven, so you get to be in charge of the story you tell. This is what attracts businesses and individuals alike!

To begin telling your stories exactly how you want them heard, tap into one (or all!) of these social networking platforms to begin writing your firm’s narrative for all to see.

1. Create an interactive visual with Instagram photos and connectivity.

Instagram is a powerful social media tool, and a user-friendly one for most. Launched on the premise of pretty pictures and capturing the moment, Instagram lets your images do the talking—while still giving you the space to include creative captions and link to other users.

You can use Instagram to repost photos shared by family members or highlight special and creative elements your funeral home was able to include in one unique memorial. Or if you’re active in the community—sponsoring a softball team? Participating in the local business awards ceremony? Hosting a summer kick-off BBQ for Memorial Day?—let friends and followers get to know a different side of you by showcasing these “off-duty” moments on your Instagram page.

A photo posted by Martin Funeral Home (@martinfuneral) on Mar 31, 2016 at 7:53am PDT

How to be a rockstar on Instagram: Utilize hashtags, which make your posts more discoverable to a wider audience. Participate in “Throwback Thursday” by posting old snapshots with hashtag #TBT, or create a local community hashtag so other businesses in your town can join in the fun.

2. Deliver information beautifully and creatively on Pinterest.

While some pinboards would have you believe Pinterest was invented solely for wedding planning and popsicle stick crafting, this virtual bulletin board has room to accommodate all types of interests and informational arenas, including business, grief and memorial services.

There are multiple ways you can use Pinterest to deliver information from your funeral home to the community, as well as share helpful tips and start important conversations. Tap into marketing and management strategies by following small businesses and consultants. Help families visualize their loved one’s services by pinning creative event inspiration or personalized decor ideas. Help families talk to their young members about grief and loss by sharing infographics and articles. And you can even help people face a terminal illness by encouraging them to identify what plans they’d like to (or are able to) make in advance. This visual medium has a lot of depth by letting you access full articles with just a click, so you can use Pinterest to make the subject of death less scary, and the business of running a funeral home less daunting.

Walker Funeral Home in Cincinnati does a great job of pinning educational and inspirational funeral content for their families on their Pinterest page. Check out their profile here!

How to be a rockstar on Pinterest: Create engaging titles for your pinboards, and pin the same article or image to multiple places to enhance discoverability.

3. Bring your community behind the scenes on Snapchat.

Working in the funeral profession means a lot of people make assumptions about you and your business that, as it turns out, aren’t really true. Using a real-time, audio/visual and text-friendly medium like Snapchat removes the editing process and takes away the white-washing—which means you can show your followers what a day in the life in your business really looks like.

Use photo and video to share a morning greeting, daily motivational or behind-the-scenes look at your morning work routine, ask and answer questions and just show the softer side of your work. Working as a funeral director can be challenging in many ways, of course, but there is plenty of room for bright spots and positive reflection in your workday.

How to be a rockstar on Snapchat: Drive traffic to your website or other social pages by including your URL or social media handles on your images and videos using Snapchat’s text-adding feature. And up the fun factor by utilizing their more comical filters and stickers to show off your sense of humor!

4. Encourage memory sharing and new connections on Social Memorial Websites.

We know that sharing stories and videos and grieving in an open space helps people to heal after loss. We also know that in times of tragedy, the little things and details are often the first to fall by the wayside. Placing all the immediate tasks in one central location, and allowing families and friends to revisit that location after their loved one’s services as they mourn, takes a load of pressure away from busy families.

Use a Social Memorial Website from funeralOne to help family members share pictures, service information, memories, moments and more. They can connect these pages to their social accounts to distribute the obituary, plus the time, date and location of services. Others can join as well to upload favorite photos and remind each other of happy moments with their loved one and create a sense of community in a time of grief. Your funeral home website can host this virtual memorial forever.

How to be a rockstar on Social Memorial Websites: Embrace the no-hassle f1Connect social memorial right on your funeral home’s website to let families and friends create their own space to virtually connect with others as they join together in healing.

Are you ready to embrace social memorials as a way to better connect with your families?! We want to help you get started! Click here to sign up for a free demo of our f1Connect website platform and social solutions, including our one of a kind social memorial pages that were specifically built to better serve your families.